Home Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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Common Invertebrates with Two or Three Solid Colors

These animals have two major colors.     Go back to color/pattern menu:    

Red & Black   Yellow & Black   Orange & Black   Red & Green   Red & White    Red & Blue   Orange & White   Green & Orange   Green & Brown   Green & Blue   Others

Red, Black & Gray   Three Colors: Others

Red or Orange and Black

         
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis),  Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 10/9/06 Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii [Stal, 1874]), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/2/08. Large Milkweed Bug nymphs, NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, 11/26/05 Milkweed Assassin Bug (Zelus longipes), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/11/09          

 

           
Cowkiller Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/1/07. The Cowkiller is infamous for its painful sting. Braconid wasp (Atanycolus genus), Cypress Gardens, Berkeley County, SC, 10/12/07
Yucca Plant Bug (Halticotoma valida), on agave plant at NC Botanical Garden, 11/21/07.  This is a tiny insect, only about 2 mm long. Mirid Bug (Lopidea genus), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 5/24/08 White-lined Burrower Bug nymph, (Sehira cinctus), Durham, 5/18/05 Male Calico Pennant Dragonfly (Celithemis elisa), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 5/20/10 Checkered beetle (Enoclerus rosmarus), Durham, NC, 5/19/10 Colorful Creek Bank Spider (Habronattus decorus, Pelleninae subfamily), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/14/06.  About ⅛ inch long.          


         
Two adult female Black Widow Spiders (Latrodectus genus), Durham, NC, 5/29/09.  The big one on the right (maybe pregnant) was much more reclusive and had made a rare trip outside this dark hiding place. The other disappeared after a couple of days. Adult female Black Widow, Durham, NC, 7/22/09.  Note dorsal red spots on abdomen.          

 

         
Love Bug (Plecia nearctica), Durham, NC, 5/4/08.  See other flies. Argid Sawfly (Arge genus, quidia or scapularus species), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/21/09.  Red-spotted Ant Mimic Spider (Castianeira descripta), Durham, 5/18/08  Thread-waisted wasp (Prionyx genus, Prionchini tribe, Sphecinae subfamily), Greenville, Pitt County, NC, 9/20/08          

       
Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii [Stal, 1874]), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/2/08. Large Milkweed Bug nymphs, NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, 11/26/05 Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata), Durham, NC, 11/18/07 Leaffooted bug nymphs, Ft. Fisher Basin Trail, New Hanover County, NC, 10/15/09.  They were moving very fast, looked like fire ants at first. Very well-fed Wheel Bug nymph, Durham, NC, 5/10/08.  Actually, the abdomens of these animals look red as often as they do orange. Largus succinctus [Linnaeus, 1763], Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC, 11/6/07.  A seed eater.  ID with reference to Texas Cooperative Extension/Texas A&M University System.        


   
There are four net-winged beetles (Calopteron reticulatum) here.  It's possible that it's a mating couple and two interlopers, but I wouldn't put down money on it! Durham, NC, 7/1/08 Net-winged Beetle (Eros humeralis), Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 5/10/07.  ID thanks to Tim R. Moyer. Net-winged Beetle (Plateros genus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/9/07 Margined Leather-wing (Chauliognathus marginatus).  Wing maintenance, Durham swamp, 7/2/05.  Notice the leg over the wing. Black Widow spiderling, one of a large group near a rock crevice on a power line cut in Durham, NC, 10/15/08.  Might be a Southern Black Widow, but not sure.  It matches this  BugGuide picture of Missouri spiderlings.    

 

Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus, subfamily Lithosiinae), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/15/10 Grapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth (Harrisina americana), outside at the Museum of Life & Science, Durham, 6/6/05.  This is a notorious agricultural pest. Yellow-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvucollis, tribe Ctenuchini, subfamily Arctiinae), Durham, 10/24/05. Red-spotted Ant Mimic Spider (Castianeira descripta), Durham, NC, 11/20/07 Leaf-rolling Sawfly(Onycholyda amplecta), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 6/7/06.  .  See BugGuide page.


         
Soft-winged flower beetle (Collops genus).  Seen in neighborhood marsh.  Durham, NC, 8/23/08 Florida Predatory Stink Bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus [Linnaeus, 1767]), Durham, NC, 11/9/09 Picture-winged Fly (Tritoxa incurva), Durham, NC, 9/7/09 Colorful foliage ground beetle (Lebia vittata, tribe Lebiini, subfamily Harpalinae), Durham, NC, 9/7/08.  This beetle is a carnivore, even though it's on a leaf.   Flea Beetle (Disonycha genus, Alticini tribe), Durham, NC, 4/19/06.  This beetle was visiting a dandelion.  Burdock Beetle (Leptinotarsa juncta). Same beetle, playing dead.  Close to looking like a Colorado Potato Beetle, but no cigar: the broad black stripe and the thorax markings set it apart.  It is an herbivore, but not a crop pest.          

 

 

         
Convergent Ladybug Beetle (Hippodamia convergens), Durham, NC, 9/13/08.  Found in a power line cut. Male shining leaf beetle (Neolema sexpunctata), Durham, NC, 7/1/07 Cocklebur Weevil (Rhodobaenus quinquepunctatus), Durham, 7/8/08 Flea beetle (Capraita sexmaculata, Alticini tribe, Galerucinae subfamily, Chrysomelidae family).  A kind of leaf beetle. Two-lined Leatherwing Beetle (Atalantycha bilineata), Durham, NC, 4/17/09          

 

         
Cylindrical Leaf beetle (Babia quadriguttata, tribe Clytrini), Durham, 6/2/06. Leaf beetle (Cryptocephalus quadruplex, subfamily Cryptocephalinae), Durham, 5/17/08.  Very tiny. Twice-stabbed Ladybug Beetle (Chilocorus stigma), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 5/19/08.  There is another red spot on the right side (rear view). Tumbling flower beetle (Hoshihananomia octopunctata), Durham, NC, 8/11/08.           

 

         
Leaffooted Bug nymph, Durham, 6/6/05.  This bug appeared on my car for no apparent reason.  An early instar. Early instar leaffooted bug nymphs!  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07.  They grow up to be brown, but late instar nymphs are gray. Red-shouldered Bug nymph (Jadera haematoloma), Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC, 6/9/06.  Mirid bug nymph, Penny's Bend, Durham County, NC, 5/5/06.  This bug was about ¼ inch long without the antennae. Yucca Plant Bug (Halticoma valida) nymph, Durham, NC, 6/17/09.  Very tiny, no more than 1 mm long          

 

         
Adult velvet mite (Trombidiidae family), Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 10/26/09.  This predator (a former parasite as a nymph) was unusually large for its type at about 2 mm long.  Adult Golden Net-winged Beetle (Dictyopterus aurora), American Tobacco Trail (Mile 5), Durham, NC, 2/26/09.  A fairly large, showy beetle, it's anomalous in this group.          

These three red-and-black arthropods all mimic one another; none attacks humans (but please don't eat them in any case...)

       
Love Bug (Plecia nearctica), Durham, NC, 5/4/08. Argid Sawfly (Arge genus, quidia or scapularus species), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/21/09.  Red-spotted Ant Mimic Spider (Castianeira descripta), Durham, 5/18/08  Grapeleaf Skeletonizer (Harrisina americana), outside at the Museum of Life & Science, Durham, 6/6/05.  This is a notorious agricultural pest.        

Here is a very miscellaneous group that also would make easy prey without their distinctive colors.  Although Boxelder Bug nymphs are lively, even they are handicapped by their winglessness.

Very well-fed Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) nymph, Durham, NC, 5/10/08.  This formidable creature can stand up to anything but droughts. Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata) nymph, Durham, NC, 5/6/09 Adult Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata), Durham, NC, 11/18/07.  Now that it has wings, this bug doesn't need nearly as much red! Mirid Bug (Lopidea genus), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 5/24/08

 

       
Largus Bug (Largus succinctus [Linnaeus, 1763]), Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC, 11/6/07.  A seed eater.  ID with reference to Texas Cooperative Extension/Texas A&M University System. Pselliopus cinctus (a kind of assassin bug), which appeared on my garage door frame in Durham on 1/25/10. Yucca Plant Bug (Halticotoma valida), on agave plant at NC Botanical Garden, 11/21/07.  This is a tiny insect, only about 2 mm long.        

Red and Green

NOTE: Shiny green surfaces in direct light can look black in the shade.

         
Soft-winged flower beetle (Collops genus).  Seen in neighborhood marsh.  Durham, NC, 8/23/08 Florida Predatory Stink Bug nymph, Durham, NC, 6/10/09 Long-legged fly, Durham, 6/20/05          

Red and White

         
Triangulate Orb Weaver Spider, Little River Park, Orange County, NC, 10/20/07          

Red and Blue

         
Male Blue-faced Meadowhawk Dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum), Durham, NC, 9/16/09.  Seen in my local marsh.          

Yellow and Black/Brown

         
Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), Museum of Life and Science grounds, Durham, NC, 4/23/09  Triangulate Orb Weaver (Verrucosa arenata), White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham County, NC, 9/25/05.  One of at least two color patterns for this species, another being red and white. ID based on the State of Missouri's spiders page. Triangulate Orb Weaver, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 8/23/09 Millipede (Sigmoria aberrans, family Xystodesmidae, Johnston's Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/25/05.  This millipede species is found only in North Carolina and Virginia.  They pop up in my neighborhood in Durham regularly but infrequently. Snowberry Clearwing Moths (Hemaris diffinis)mating, Durham, 8/4/03.  Tiger moth (Apantesis genus), Durham, NC, 5/21/09.  There is probably orange on the hind wings, but this is a common view. Leconte's Haploa caterpillar, a member of the Arctiidae (tiger moth) family, Arctiinae subfamily.  It showed up on a dogwood tree branch.          

 telling the truth. 

       
European Honeybee (Apis mellifera, subfamily Apinae, family Apidae), Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 3/17/06.  Cicada Killer (Sphecius speciosus, Handlirschiina subgenus, Bembicini tribe, Bembicinae subfamily), Durham, NC, 8/1/08 Yellow Jackets (Vespula vulgaris?) mating.  Durham, NC, 11/20/08 Yes, wasps have predators, although you don't hear about them too much.  This robber fly is subduing a hornet with what seems like very unflylike behavior: note the hornet's stinger.  Duke Forest Gate #12, Durham, NC, 8/23/06.        

 

         
Cuckoo Bee (Nomada genus, Heminomada subgenus, most likely Imbricata species).  ID thanks to John S. Ascher. Crabronid wasp (Philanthus gibbosus), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 8/28/06.  This is a predator of halictid bees. Ichneumonid Wasp, Durham, 10/29/05.  Members of the Ichneumonidae family Tiphiid wasps (Myzinum genus), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/07, struggling to get into one little hole in the sand. Wasp (Scolia nobilitata).  NOTE: The ITIS does not list the species nobilitata. Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), Museum of Life and Science grounds, Durham, NC, 4/23/09           

Batesian Mimicry: a warning that fools predators

These insects can't sting, but they'd like you to believe they can.  The insects in these two rows mimic stinging prey of common predators.

Yellow and black stripes in these animals mislead predators into thinking that they sting.

       
Plasterer Bees (Colletes thoracicus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/14/08.  Male Ornate Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus ornatus), North Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 5/24/07 Female Robber Fly (Promachus rufipes), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 8/17/05.  Robber Fly (Laphria divisor), Cox Mountain Trail, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 5/6/07, imitates bumblebees and carpenter bees. Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis), Durham, 8/20/03.  Another bumblebee mimic. Southern Bee Killer (Mallophora orcina, subfamily Asilinae), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 10/12/06.  Another kind of robber fly looking like a bumblebee.        

 

     
Syrphid Fly (Temnostoma balyras, subtribe Philippimyiina, tribe Milesiini), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07   Flower Fly (Syrphus genus, Syrphinae subfamily), Boone, Watauga County, 8/31/05.  A hornet imitator. Flower fly (Helophilus fasciatus), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 10/20/06.  Another flavor of hornet imitation. Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae, subfamily Cerambycinae), Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/29/05.       

A few interesting variations on the yellow-and-black stripes theme...

         
Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasterocanthis cancriformis), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/06.  A little different: spikes and no stripes. Zebra Heliconian. Across the street from the East Campus of Duke University, Durham, NC, 10/4/04.   Its natural habit is in the tropics, so its mimicry is probably less effective here, as the apparent bite out of the left wing suggests. White-backed Garden Spider (Argiope fasciata), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07  Dorsal view.           

 

 

Orange and White

           
Leaffooted Bug  nymph, Durham, 6/6/05.  This bug appeared on my car for no apparent reason.  An early instar. Leafhopper (Bandara genus), Durham, NC, 8/14/08.  OK, this one is really speckled! Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth (Lithacodes fasciola, subfamily Lithacodinae), Durham, 7/27/05. Taken at night. ID based on BugGuide.          

Green and Orange

         
Florida Predatory Stink Bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus [Linnaeus, 1767]), Durham, NC, 6/26/10          

Green and Brown

         
Stink Bug (Banasa dimiata), Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 7/22/09 Female or young adult Common Green Darner Dragonfly(Anax junius), Ocracoke Island, 5/17/05 Mating Praying Mantises (Mantis religiosa), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 9/16/05. Chinese Mantis (Tenodera aridifolia), Appalachian Trail, Botetourt County, VA, 9/15/04.  This was the biggest mantid I've ever seen. Cicada nymph, most likely a Southern Dog-day Cicada.  You can see wing pads on its side.  See other hoppers.          

Green and Blue

         
Male Common Green Darner, Durham, 7/27/06.  This darner was constantly in flight at the edge of a swamp, but hovered long enough for me to take this photo. Young adult male Blue Dasher (Pachidiplex longipennis), eating a fly.  Durham, 6/2/06.  The adult male eventually becomes all blue. Sparkling Jewelwing (Calopteryx dimidiata).  This insect may appear to be all blue or all green. The key is the partially black wing. See other damselflies.          

Other Two-color Combinations

         
Snowberry Clearwing Moth caterpillar, Durham, NC, 10/3/07 Distinguished Colomychus - Hodges #5200 (Colomychus talis), Durham, NC, 7/25/07.  Thanks to Dennis Profant for ID. Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda, subfamily Ceratocampinae),  7/25/04.  This member of the Royal Moth subfamily also found its way to the tennis court, but did not revive.  Not all Saturniidae are large: this one was only about an inch long. Hawaiian Beet Webworm (Spoladea recurvalis), Durham, NC, 9/28/08          

Three or Four Colors

Red, Black and Gray


       
Male jumping spider (Phidippus whitmani), at Abbott Lake, Peaks of Otter Recreational Area, Bedford County, VA, 7/9/09 Checkered beetle (Enoclerus ichneumoneus), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/4/09.   Spider wasp (Psorthaspis mariae), Falls Lake Dam area, 9/11/10.  It successfully mimicked a velvet ant in its movements.  It actually looks more like the checkered beetle on the left. Rustic Borer Beetle (Xylotrechus colonus), Durham, NC, 6/27/10. Photo taken at night. Caterpillar Hunter Wasp (Ammophila genus), Greenville, NC, 9/20/08 Harnessed Tiger Moth (Apantesis phalerata), Durham, NC, 5/13/07.  Taken at night.        

Three Colors: Others

           
Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula pulchella), Durham, 8/21/05. White Flannel Moth (Norape ovina), caterpillar, Umstead State Park, Wake County, NC, 9/5/04.  Like the Puss Moth caterpillar, this caterpillar is poisonous.            

Copyright © 2010 by Dorothy E. Pugh.  All rights reserved.  Please contact for rights to use photos.

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